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Gender Bias in Intrahousehold Allocation: Evidence from an Unintentional Experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Luis H. B. Braido

    (Getulio Vargas Foundation, Graduate School of Economics)

  • Pedro Olinto

    (World Bank)

  • Helena Perrone

    (Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Barcelona GSE)

Abstract

We use data from a Brazilian social program to investigate the existence of gender bias in intrahousehold allocations of resources. The program makes cash transfers to mothers and pregnant women in poor households. Bureaucratic mistakes, beyond the control of the applicants, have inadvertently excluded many households that had applied and were accepted to the program. This unintentional natural experiment is used to identify the impact of an exogenous variation in female nonlabor income over household consumption. We find that program participation led to an increase in food expenditure, but this effect is not due to women being the benefit recipients. © 2012 The President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Luis H. B. Braido & Pedro Olinto & Helena Perrone, 2012. "Gender Bias in Intrahousehold Allocation: Evidence from an Unintentional Experiment," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 94(2), pages 552-565, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:94:y:2012:i:2:p:552-565
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bolsa Alimentação; Gender Bias; Collective Approach; Household Bargain; Unitary Model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O54 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household

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